WikiLeaks: Kevin Rudd warned of need to be ready to use force against China

The United States and Australia should be "prepared to deploy force"
against China, if moves to assimilate the superpower into the international
community backfired, then-Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned.

Kevin Rudd said he was 'a brutal realist' when it came to China, which is Australia's biggest trading partnerPhoto: EPA

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney and Malcolm Moore in Shanghai

6:38PM GMT 06 Dec 2010

The comment was made during discussions between Mr Rudd and Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state last year, according to one of the leaked cables.

Over lunch in Washington, Mr Rudd, a former diplomat to Beijing and a fluent Mandarin speaker, said he was "a brutal realist" when it came to China, which is Australia's biggest trading partner.

He described Chinese leaders as "paranoid" and "sub-rational" over Taiwan and Tibet and said that President Hu Jintao was "no (predecessor) Jiang Zemin".

Mr Rudd called for "integrating China effectively into the international community and allowing it to demonstrate greater responsibility, all while also preparing to deploy force if everything goes wrong".

He also said his vision for an Asia-Pacific Community was primarily an attempt to contain Chinese influence.

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Mr Rudd, who was relegated to the role of foreign minister after a political coup in June, yesterday refused to authenticate the cable but did not distance himself from the comments.

He said Australia and China had a robust relationship and had disagreed in the past: "that's normal". He added: "The business of diplomacy is not to just roll over and have your tummy tickled from time to time by China or anyone else."

China is the largest importer of Australia's natural resources, contributing billions of dollars to the economy each year.